k.flay tore it up at Santos Party House this past week. There were other indie bands that played, but I don’t remember them. I just remember the Bay Area-rapper coming out hard, and going hard the whole way through her set. She was so intense that her hat immediately flew off her head as soon as she started to rock and headbang out to her crafted beats, and then it was like watching the indie electronic hip hop version of the Ramones; the songs went by so quick it was over too soon.
It was the Neon Gold POPSHOP second anniversary show, so the crowd was there to party, and take advantage of that one hour of open Cutty Sark whiskey bar. The bands were the soundtrack to the whiskey-induced dance party, but k.flay was the standout that got people clamoring to get right up to the stage, fists in the air, rapping along to every word of tracks like “No Duh,” Messin With My Head,” and especially “Doctor Don’t Know” and “Less Than Zero.” It was clear that k.flay had that crucial combination of quick rhymes and quick wit, with a delivery that spoke to modern youth in a fresh and relevant way. Maybe every generation thinks they have this searching wanderlust and confusion in their lives that no one else understands, but not every generation expresses this frustrating vision the same way. k.flay is definitely expressing these kinds of sentiments in a way that draws on other influences, mixed with her own experiences through her own perspective to offer insight, commiseration, and a bit of wisdom.
Setlist-wise she mixed her more well-known chosen tracks with super fresh tunes that will be part of forthcoming releases she’s working on. Spending most of her set out at the front of the stage, she kept hyped hands in the air and head banging hair flying. She was joined by a live drummer, to really give that punch to the beats that you can’t get any other way, and she had a floor tom with a cracked cymbal next to her synth and sampler rig to hit hard when she wasn’t changing up the beats or thrashing the mic with that low scratchy flow of hers. Her vocals could have used a bit more of a boost sound-wise, as they sounded a little too mixed down in the beginning. Since the lyrics and delivery are where it’s at in k.flay’s songs, it was a good thing they gradually became more balanced with the drums and beats. Of course, there were plenty of people who knew the words well-enough anyway. She could have gone all a capella and call and response, and it still would have been a rad show. Actually, that’s not a bad idea for what could be a segue track or two…
k.flay’s next shows are a handful of February gigs all on the west coast in California, with Icona Pop. Keep an eye on her Facebook and Twitter for news about upcoming releases.
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